Author Topic: where do you get BTS???  (Read 35482 times)

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Offline coco146

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Re: where do you get BTS???
« Reply #75 on: February 20, 2013, 09:21:08 AM »
Well, BTS sounds like the sort of thing I appreciate.  I agree that games now are far too dumbed down.  But I'm not entierly sure what it is, can you tell me if my first impressions are correct?

It seems to be a 4x game that begins in the pre-space age, but then progress onwards into the future.  It also seems to be some sort of pen and paper type game (or screen and keyboard). It also seem to require more than one person to play.  Are my assumptions correct or have I misunderstood this game?
 

Offline Þórgrímr

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Re: where do you get BTS???
« Reply #76 on: February 23, 2013, 06:02:59 PM »
Well, BTS sounds like the sort of thing I appreciate.  I agree that games now are far too dumbed down.  But I'm not entierly sure what it is, can you tell me if my first impressions are correct?

It seems to be a 4x game that begins in the pre-space age, but then progress onwards into the future.  It also seems to be some sort of pen and paper type game (or screen and keyboard). It also seem to require more than one person to play.  Are my assumptions correct or have I misunderstood this game?

I apologize for not answering your post sooner. Been busy doing up the Orbats for one of the intended scenarios to test the system.  :)

BTS! has it's Genesis in my disappointment with most 4x games. Most seem to concentrate on one aspect or another of space, combat and the expansion of a species into the deep black. One of the names Haegan and I have given BTS! is a '4x Nation Simulator'. What we mean by this is that we cover ALL facets of a nation of sentients.

Fist off, the populace of the power is no longer free resources to be exploited at your whim. You have to actually take care of them. House, feed, and keep them employed. Now, you can keep them inline with your military, or even go so far as to make their Self-Determination low. What a low Self-Determination does is give a player the sense of how much 'trouble' his populace will give him and his rule. Low means they are content, or have resigned themselves to their fate as biological cogs in their governments machinery.

However, if you set your SD too low, that will come back and bite you in the ass if you are ever invaded.  ;)

Now that I have given the rah-rah speech, I will answer your points.  ;D

BTS! Can be configured to start at the dawn of time, up to far, far in the future. The GM and the players determine exactly what epoch they will begin in.

Unfortunately, BTS! cannot be play PnP. Too many variables that would make the GM go insane. The reason I say this is that the BTS! Engine was designed to make it as easy as possible for the players to play the game. They give their orders to the GM, and he processes them. It is possible to play it with excel sheets. They do an excellent job of cutting down the number crunching and math the GM has to worry about. In point of fact, the program Haegan is working on is for the GM, not the players.  ;D

As for the number of players, yes more than one would make it more fun. Human interaction is FAR more interesting than interacting with NPRs, and such. However, the Gm can generate entire NPRs if need be. So, technically, it can be played with one GM, and one player.  :)

Some would say BTS! is complex. In a sense, it is. The complexity comes from the myriad decisions a player MUST make. Yet the mechanics of the game for a player are not complex at all. With BTS! you can put as much, or as little, as you wish into it. As an example, I have created an entire Steampunk Nation called Albion. Yes, it is based off of Victorian England. Moreover, in creating this Power I went into great detail into their history, military units and organization.

Now, a player is NOT required to put that much detail into their power, but BTS! is going to be a game that you experience, as well as play. The canon 'verse will be an ongoing setting that will have story elements in it, while there will be other 'verses and modules released over time. So, I think I can safely say, if you do put the effort into your power, you will enjoy the game much, much more.  :)

Below is an example of flavor I have created for one of the main powers in the canon 'verse.  :)


 The Terran Armored Cavalry: The Horse Soldiers of the Stars


INTRODUCTION

The Terran Armored Cavalry Regiments claim to be some of the oldest units serving the United States of Terra today. Only the United Terran Marine Corps can claim to be older than the ACR's. Their troopers are steeped in the traditions of their ancestors and are proud, almost to the point of insubordination. Although an ACR is not a large unit their lists of achievements rivals any Marine or Special Forces Unit one can name.

The roots of the modern day Armored Cavalry Regiments can trace their origin back to the day Gunnery Sergeant DeShane swore in Alpha Troop, 1st United States Cavalry in the early days of the Unification Wars. As Mankind sought the stars numerous military units went into space, the Cavalry leading the way.

When out in space the ACRs assumed the duties of protecting the colonists of Terran worlds. Pirates, warlords, and criminal organizations were commonplace, mainly due to the government being so far away and only a Territorial Governor to rule. Usually, as the only garrison on many frontier worlds, the ACRs began to live up to their their reputation and history.

Deployed in Troop level posts, members of the ACRs sought out and destroyed these threats. Although rarely engaged in a set piece battle, the ACRs fought hundreds of skirmish level battles on every world along the frontier. During this time the ACRs reached back into history and began to wear the yellow scarves and gloves we now find so common. The blue Regimental number on the backs of the scarves reminded the colonists that the Cap Troopers were on the job. All vehicles have a guidon divided into a swallowtail red upper background and white Regimental number half, and white lower background and red Squadron Number / Troop letter half.

REGIMENTAL TRADITIONS

The unofficial Cap Trooper Motto: Hit Them First, Hit Them Hard, and Hit Them Last.

The first thing a person notices when dealing with a member of an ACR is their dress uniform, worn when the ACR is not in combat. The uniform jacket is navy blue and the trousers are light blue with yellow striping down the outside of the trouser legs, while yellow gloves are either worn or folded over the black leather belt. Squadron numbers and Troop letters are worn on the left sleeve while the Regimental number is worn on the right, along with the unit crest. There is a yellow scarf worn which is knotted in the front with the Regimental number on the back.

Vehicle Crewmen of an ACR wear black knee high leather boots and silver spurs, a reminder of the days when the horse was the mode of transportaion. Infantry uniforms are similar. When in combat the infantry wears light powered armor. Each vehicle crewman of an ACR carries a Colt M-3211 4mm gauss pistol. The Infantry carry the Winchester M-25 plasma rifle and a Colt M-3211 gauss pistol as a sidearm.

The jargon in an ACR seems to come from a different time altogether. All members of an ACR are called troopers, vehicle crews are called Horse Soldiers, and the infantrymen are often called Dog Soldiers. Only other members of the Regiment may call their infantry Dog Soldiers, however. It is a serious insult for an outsider to refer to any member of the Regiment by these names. The Regimental commander is always called the 'Old Man' no matter the gender or species.

The ACRs contain Human, Halaorian, and Dardanii. No other species are recruited, and no other races are accepted. Denevans are particularly disliked by the ACRs as a whole. Members of all three species have been promoted to Regimental commanders over the years. Members of an ACR have been known to disobey, or ignore, commands from another non-ACR unit's officers. Although dealt with harshly, the practice of only recognizing officers within an ACR continues to this day.



Cheers, Thor
Sic vis pacem, para bellum
If you want peace, prepare for war
 

Offline coco146

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Re: where do you get BTS???
« Reply #77 on: February 24, 2013, 04:24:08 PM »
Thanks I feel like I have a better understanding now.  I take it that it is in early stages?  "Beta testing" for want of a better name.
 

Offline Þórgrímr

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Re: where do you get BTS???
« Reply #78 on: February 24, 2013, 07:46:55 PM »
Thanks I feel like I have a better understanding now.  I take it that it is in early stages?  "Beta testing" for want of a better name.

Actually, the mechanics of the game are pretty much finished. Just some tweaking and Haegan finishing the GM Program before we can proceed with the testing. Right now I am putting the finishing touches on the maintenance and supply rules. We had that overhaul and it required a redo of the M&S Rules.  :)



Cheers, Thor
Sic vis pacem, para bellum
If you want peace, prepare for war
 

Offline Haegan2005

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Re: where do you get BTS???
« Reply #79 on: February 24, 2013, 07:59:59 PM »
The real delay is the programming. Its being done on my free time, which isn't as much as I would like these days. I seem to be averaging a screen every two weeks at this point, but the screens are fairly simple right now. As I am going I am designing the DB as well. By the time the Racial, Nation, Regional, and unit design screens are done, we will have 80% of the DB effectively made. 

We have the Racial creation, Government design, and the first screen of the Nation creation process done. Next is the Infrastructure and population purchasing screen to do. Then the Region/World creation screen. I am not sure If we will be able to add the infra and pop in on that screen or if we are going to have yet another screen for this. 
 

Offline coco146

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Re: where do you get BTS???
« Reply #80 on: February 25, 2013, 01:51:40 AM »
Cool, I'm certainly going to watch this project.
 

Offline MrAnderson

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Re: where do you get BTS???
« Reply #81 on: February 25, 2013, 01:52:06 AM »
It's looking good Haegan. Don't worry too much about how long it takes. While I blitz through interfaces whenever I write a program, it's the coding that really takes time. As always, if you need any assets/help with anything, feel free to give me a shout.

(I'm a bit burnt out right now, went on a 4 day trip with my band to Moscow, Idaho for the Jazz Festival.)
 

Offline Þórgrímr

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Re: where do you get BTS???
« Reply #82 on: February 25, 2013, 10:30:40 AM »
One thing I have emphasized with BTS! is the ability for the player to recreate real life Orbats and situations. However, to be able to do that I had to use real life to design the engine.  ;D What that means is that BTS! will NOT gloss over things like Maintenance and Supply. The example below is an example for the US 1st Armored Division and it supply load out. The totals are figured by the game and only the final totals are given to the player. If there is a shortage it will be reported to the player. So, while it looks complex the player only worries about the final tally.  :)

With the new rules we can now simulate the Allied Army running out of fuel in late 44, while still having plenty of Ammo and General Supply. Or the situation in January 45 when the American Army was so short of ammunition that they had to ration ammunition. In point of fact, the situation was so bad that they had to limit each 105mm piece to 22 rounds a day, maximum.  :P

I know this example will scare off a lot of folks who do not like details. That is fine with me. I would rather have five or six players who love the detail and are willing to commit to the game.  :) The Company Motto for GPI is: Games for gamers who love to sweat the details.  8)

Each Republican Combat HQ or independent formation can carry two full load outs of its basic supply requirements.

Example:
The American 1st Armored Division consists of the following assets:

For the purposes of this example the Aircraft assets will be classified as vehicular.

1st Armored Division:
1 Combat Engineer Battalion - Vehicular
1 Air Defense Battalion - Vehicular
1 Military Intelligence Battalion - Leg

1st Armored Brigade:
3 Armored Battalions  - Vehicular
2 Mech Infantry Battalions - Vehicular
1 SP Artillery Battalion - Vehicular

1st Mechanized Brigade:
2 Armored Battalions - Vehicular
3 Mech Infantry Battalions - Vehicular
1 SP Artillery Battalion - Vehicular

2nd Armored Brigade:
3 Armored Battalions - Vehicular
2 Mech Infantry Battalion - Vehicular
1 SP Artillery Battalion - Vehicular

1st Aviation Brigade:
2 Armored Cavalry Squadrons (Bn) - Vehicular
2 Attack Helicopter Squadrons - Aircraft
3 Light Aviation Transport Squadrons - Aircraft

Division Artillery Brigade:
5 SP Artillery Battalions - Vehicular
2 MLRS Artillery Battalions - Vehicular

So the basic supply requirement for the American 1st AD is as follows:
1. Fuel = 34 Fuel Points.
1. Ammo = 70 Ammo Points. NOTE: US Units carry enough Ammo to fully supply one attack and one defense in each Load Out.
3. General = 35 General Supply Points.

So if fully supplied the American 1st AD can carry 68 Fuel Points, 140 Ammo Points, and 70 General Supply Points.

If a Republican combat HQ or independent formation is out of ammunition that combat HQ or independent formation may not initiate combat. If a Republican combat HQ or independent formation moves while out of General Supply it must consult the forced march table to see if any Formation Cohesion is lost.

If a Republican combat HQ or independent formation is out of General Supply it may not remove any CFL levels or remove a Combat Ineffective marker.

Republican Artillery only independent formations carry 2 Fuel and General Supply Load Outs, and 3 Ammo Load Outs.



Cheers, Thor
Sic vis pacem, para bellum
If you want peace, prepare for war
 

Offline coco146

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Re: where do you get BTS???
« Reply #83 on: February 25, 2013, 11:12:44 AM »
This certainly looks good hopefully we'll be able to see it soon.
 

Offline Þórgrímr

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Re: where do you get BTS???
« Reply #84 on: February 25, 2013, 01:38:40 PM »
For the playtesters, it will not be too long.  ;) ;D



Cheers, Thor
Sic vis pacem, para bellum
If you want peace, prepare for war
 

Offline coco146

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Re: where do you get BTS???
« Reply #85 on: February 25, 2013, 02:58:23 PM »
And the rest of us have a while to wait? :'(
 

Offline Þórgrímr

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Re: where do you get BTS???
« Reply #86 on: February 25, 2013, 08:43:45 PM »
And the rest of us have a while to wait? :'(

Pretty much, unfortunately. There will be reports and posts of what is happening in the testing process.

However, on the other hand, we do need more playtesters to give a helping hand.  ;) ;D



Cheers, Thor
Sic vis pacem, para bellum
If you want peace, prepare for war
 

Offline coco146

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Re: where do you get BTS???
« Reply #87 on: February 26, 2013, 01:51:27 AM »
Well, I probably don't have the most experience, but if you need volunteers, I'd be happy.
 

Offline Þórgrímr

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Re: where do you get BTS???
« Reply #88 on: February 26, 2013, 12:11:52 PM »
Well, I probably don't have the most experience, but if you need volunteers, I'd be happy.

If you like to play 4x games, can form an opinion and are willing to post them, good or bad, then you qualify.  ;D

One last thing, Since we are pretty sure BTS! has some new and innovative ways to accomplish our goals, we will require the playtesters to sign an NDA. We wish to protect our IP, and just like any other company will do, we have done.  ;D All it says is that you cannot tell or show anything that is provided to you by GPI without express, written, permission.  :)



Cheers, Thor
Sic vis pacem, para bellum
If you want peace, prepare for war
 

Offline coco146

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Re: where do you get BTS???
« Reply #89 on: February 26, 2013, 01:50:13 PM »
Sure, I love 4X and I agree with a lot of what you said about games being dumbed-down.  I have no problem with Nondisclosure agreements either.  So yeah of you need more play testers I would be happy to sign up.